


Strippers and Feelings

by Aainiouu



Category: X-Men - All Media Types, X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014) - Fandom, X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Stripper/Exotic Dancer, Cameos by Tony and Edie, I Don't Even Know, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-23
Updated: 2015-11-23
Packaged: 2018-05-03 02:02:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5272409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aainiouu/pseuds/Aainiouu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shit, Erik thinks, he feels seriously blindsided and when Charles’ number begins and as a healthy bisexual man he can admit that he is little turned on. Shit.</p><p>The short story with strippers, feelings, bonfires and Charles wearing glasses</p>
            </blockquote>





	Strippers and Feelings

**Author's Note:**

> This came to my mind after watching the Magic Mike XXL but it's really not about stripping.
> 
> Also in Tumblr
> 
> Hope you enjoy it :)

Erik, the man who made the letter M arousing, if you believe the advertisements, is circulating in the crowd of women and gay men who were in the club for the show. He blends in pretty well because every eye is on Logan who is currently on the stage. Looking around he sees four bachorlette party groups, one bachelor party and three 21’sts. Club is packed up full, Emma must be pleased. 

He lifts his eyes and smirks when he spots a man standing alone in his favorite corner, the one where you can see the stage best. The man has a compact frame clad in a soft grey t-shirt and black jeans and a mop of brown hair so messy that it must be annoying. He doesn’t look like the regular customer, watching calmly Logan perform, not giving into the crowd hysteria at all.

“Enjoying the show?” Erik says to the stranger and the guy turns towards him. Erik can see blue eyes and freckled nose in the flicking light of the club and when he guy cocks his head and smiles, Erik quickly weighs the pros and cons of taking this guy home and facing first Azazel’s rage in the morning and then Emma’s rage, when she hears that he has slept with a client again.

“Well hello there. Hmm. Do you happen to work here?” Erik lifts an eyebrow and the stranger laughs throwing his head back “You just look like you can pull it off. Don’t be offended, I’m sorry” Erik smirks and shakes his head wondering briefly about stranger’s British accent. The guy is very far from home.

“No, don’t apologize. I actually do work here. You just surprised me” Erik offers his hand still smiling “I’m Erik, or M if you like it better” A realization dawns on the strangers gaze and he grabs the offered hand between his palms.

“Oh so you’re the sensational new guy! I’m Charles” Erik feels his ego buffing on the compliment but then he frowns a little. The new guy? He’s been working in the Hellfire for solid six months now so he isn’t new on any scale. He opens his mouth to point this out but then Emma’s voice comes through the speakers and both he and the stranger turn their heads towards the stage.

“Okay, okay, ladies and gentlemen! I’ve got a special treat for you today! One of our regulars, Havoc, is sadly watching from the sidelines today due to the unexpected ankle injury” The crowd is aww’ing, disappointed and Erik is not surprised: Alex was very popular, especially with the younger crowd.

“This morning an old friend came to drink some of my best tequila and I might’ve just persuaded him to return from the retirement for couple of nights” Okay, now Emma has Erik’s attention. It’s very difficult to return from the retirement and still meet Emma’s standards. Most of the club owner’s really don’t care as long as money comes in but Emma very hard to impress.

“This guy left a big hole to everyone’s heart, when he decided to go and see the world and leave us in need. I was very cross with him I really was” Emma sniffs and the crowd screams like they know who Emma is talking about.

“Smooth, Emma, smooth indeed” Charles mutters and Erik is startled out of his musings

“You know Emma then?” Erik asks and Charles snorts.

“We’re old friends as she generously pointed out”

“Without further ado let’s welcome him to the stage. For the first time in two years, it’s our beloved X!” Emma says to the microphone smirking and Erik feels his jaw opening. He has certainly heard about the letter X and when he counts one and one together he gets two and then Charles is already walking towards the stage backwards.

“See you later, Erik! I need to go now” The crowd is screaming and grabbing Charles’ hands and torso but letting him go through. The music starts to play the bass shaking in the club like a heartbeat and Charles jumps on the stage and with a wink towards Erik he flings his shirt off.

Shit, Erik thinks, he feels seriously blindsided and when Charles’ number begins and as a healthy bisexual man he can admit that he is little turned on.

Shit.

—-

Charles ends up working in the club for the whole summer

—

Erik is standing outside Charles’ apartment gritting his teeth. Charles is late and isn’t answering his phone ergo Erik is ringing the doorbell like crazy. He knows that their bickering went a little far yesterday but they fight all the time and it isn’t like Charles to get angry.

Finally there is shuffling and faint humming and the door opens revealing sleepy Charles in his pajama pants and reading glasses and Erik stomps down the swell of affection that is growing inside his chest.

“You’re late” Erik grits “We were supposed to be at the beach fifteen minutes ago. Emma is going to be furious” Charles sighs and rubs his eyes briefly.

“I bloody forgot the whole party. Come in, I’ll put some clothes on and then we can go” Charles turns and trots inside and Erik gives an appreciating glance to his backside before following him.

It’s the first time that Erik’s been inside Charles’ apartment and he can’t help noticing that it doesn’t look like a stripper’s apartment at all. Everything is top notch, appliances modern and the furnishing vintage, and there are thick books and stacks of paper lying everywhere. When he turns around the corner to the kitchen his mood sours to something even worse.

There is a man standing in the room wearing only boxers and even if he didn’t instantly hate the man in sight, he would’ve because the shit eating grin he gives him before shouting:

“Darling, who did you drag in this time?” The man sips coffee and then Charles walks to the room now in proper clothes and without glasses.

“It’s Erik from the work. Erik this is Tony” Charles says absent mindedly and Erik nods and swallows the bitter taste that had risen to his throat. “Tony have you seen my sunglasses? I’m sure I saw then somewhere in here…” Tony points to the side table and pats Charles softly on the shoulder.

“Oh thanks Tony, you’re gold” Charles smiles and takes Erik by his arm and drags him outside. Erik shakes Charles’ hand off.

Charles doesn’t comment but frowns a little and then he shrugs it off and hops into Erik’s truck and for one fleeting moment Erik almost hates him.

—

“Erik… I’m not fucking Tony. He just an old friend”

—

They are sitting around the bonfire and Charles is telling stories from distant lands and college and Erik just stares him feeling wistful. It’s probably the world’s greatest irony that he wants Charles so much. Or at least it feels like that for him. He sips his beer and grimaces because it’s too warm and not that good to begin with.

“We should go swimming!” Charles states smiling like the sun but no one looks particularly interested and Erik snorts. “Oh come on! The water is warm!” Charles grabs Erik by the arm and tugs him but Erik doesn’t stand up. He smirks at Charles’ pout and pats him on the ankle.

Charles sighs and then undresses to his underwear.

“Oh X, behave yourself!” Alex laughs but Charles just grins and says:

“We undress in front of hundreds of people every weekend. There is no need to be shy!” Charles walks to the shoreline and takes a couple of steps into the water.

“Someone go after him, he’s gonna drown there by himself” Logan grumbles and Erik stands up and follows Charles. He shivers in the cold.

“Fuck this” Erik grits and sheds himself of his clothes.

“Erik! Wonderful! Come on then, the water feels better than sex!” Charles is now deep that the water is lapping around his chest.

“I seriously doubt it!” Erik shouts back but walks so that he is standing behind Charles. The water is cold, very cold, and Erik isn’t sure why he’s here. Suddenly Charles turns around and circles his hands around Erik’s torso and pulls down. The cold water hits Erik’s chest and he emerges from the water spluttering and gasping for air. Charles is laughing and splashing water next to him and although Erik flips the younger man off he can’t help but laugh along.

“Just how drunk are you Charles?” Erik asks and Charles scoffs.

“I’m not drunk. You are in the presence of the four times champion of the annual Oxford drinking contest, my friend” Charles stretches his left arm and splays his fingers on Erik’s chest.

“Erik, could you be so kind and kiss me?” Charles asks with twinkling eyes but Erik’s brain short-circuits and he fails to answer. Charles clears his throat and steps back clearly embarrassed. “Well… this is awk-“

Erik surges forward and crashes his lips to Charles’. It’s wonderful, it’s perfect and now Erik shivers because Charles runs his fingers along Erik’s back humming a little before pinching Erik’s butt.

“Oh you cheeky…” Erik laughs and hoists Charles up and throws him to the waves. Erik follows and yanks the younger man so that they are glued together from chest to hip. Charles spits some salt water to Erik’s face before kissing him again.

—

When they get to Erik’s apartment Erik tastes Charles’ skin everywhere. It’s still salty from the sea and when Charles gasps, moans and cries out Erik’s name when he comes, Erik still deep inside him, Erik feels his heart bursting with joy.

—

The jealously is new. Erik can see Charles grinding one lucky, lucky, bride-to-be on the stage. The thing is that Erik sees quite a lot of bare skin in their line of work so usually it doesn’t affect him that much but Charles… Well Charles is an exception, and when he sees someone else touching Charles’ skin, or Charles at all for that matter, it makes his blood boil. Erik can hear Logan sniggering behind him and he glares the man over his shoulder.

“Shut up, Logan” he spits but it only serves to make his fellow entertainer laugh aloud.

“No need to be hostile, Lensherr. Chuck is very pretty and the fact that he doesn’t know it makes me almost furious” Erik frowns eyes glued to the stage but before he can ask what Logan means the man continues “I do hope that you call him pretty everyday, Lensherr, he needs it”

“What the fuck are you babbling about Logan? Of course I do” He doesn’t like it when people doubt his relationships. At all.

“I just wanted to remind you to treat him right” Then Logan walks away and Charles comes from the stage drenched in sweat, eyes dancing with mirth and he slaps Erik on the backside and Erik definitely doesn’t squeal.

“It’s too bad that you’re up next darling, I’m quite worked up” Charles says as he leans up to bite Erik’s earlobe. Erik feels a surge of lust shoot up his spine and he kisses Charles briefly “I’ll just have to appreciate your talents from afar. What- a- shame” Charles sucks on Erik’s neck and the bigger man groans.

“Charles… Fuck. You better hold on to that thought” Erik growls and Charles, that minx, just smiles brilliantly.

“Mmmm, you bet, little one” Charles’ voice is almost a purr and then he trots away and Erik really, really has to run because Emma is calling him to the stage.

—

“Charles… You’re so- fucking beautiful” Erik gasps when later that night Charles is sucking him off with two clever fingers inside Erik. Charles looks stops and looks taken aback for a moment before smiling and twisting.

—

“Darling… You’re a male entertainer and you’ve never given me a lap dance. I strongly suggest that you get on with it” Charles says one evening after their chess game, watching Erik from under heavy eyelids. Erik throws the board out of the way and sits at Charles’ lap grinding his hips down, enjoying immensely when Charles gasps.

“I’m going to show you a lap dance, you insufferable bastard” he says and easily picks Charles up easily so the smaller man can wrap his thighs around Erik’s waist.

“Oh do you have a new routine with props Mr. M or why there is something digging into my arse? I didn’t realize that this was that kind of establishment”

“Oh it’s only for the special customers” Erik growls and then mimics bass beat to Charles’ ear and carries him to the bedroom.

Erik keeps a hold on Charles hips lowering him so his head is on the bed but legs still around Erik’s waist. Charles stretches his shirt riding up and Erik trails his fingers from top of Charles’ pants under his shirt all the way till circling his nipples.

Charles’ eyes are blown almost black and he licks his lips lifting one leg off forcing Erik to crouch a little so he doesn’t drop the man. Charles plants his foot on Erik’s chest nudging gently Erik’s shirt up.

“Strip” he says simply and Erik obliges after releasing his grip on Charles. He does it slowly enjoying when Charles’ eyelids flutter.

“Don’t touch yourself” Erik purrs when he sees Charles reaching towards his crotch and Charles lifts his hands up in surrender.

“Oh but Mr. M! I’m feeling a little too hot for my clothes” Erik is in the middle of unbuckling his belt in a in his best seducing manner and huffs out a laugh.

“You’re the worst client I’ve ever had, seriously. You’re supposed to enjoy the show and then go home and take your clothes off”

“But I am home” Charles pouts and Erik shushes him.

—

Charles and Erik spend the whole summer constantly in each other company, entwined body and soul. Erik thinks that he has never loved someone so much and when the September comes closer and closer even the heat can’t warm him when he realizes that Charles must leave for Oxford soon.

—

Then the September comes and Erik watches Charles packing his apartment into small boxes. Erik helps and pretends that his heart isn’t breaking with every box that is taped shut. At least Charles isn’t happy about the new school year either but seems like he is thinking something very hard. Erik knows the facts, Charles has to leave and Erik has to stay but he doesn’t want to think about it.

“Have you ever thought about going back to Germany” Charles asks softly when they lie on Charles’ bed sweaty and gritty after a good shag, like Charles likes to say. Erik shakes his head and sighs.

“There is nothing for me in Europe at this time. I would have to get a job and an apartment and although my mother always talks about me going back I’d rather just get her here with me. There are too many bad memories there for her and for me but… she doesn’t want to leave her friends at the synagogue and if I went back I might not be able to support her”

“Erik, I have… money” Erik snorts a little.

“No, Charles. Just no. I don’t want your money. I won’t lead you to financial ruin because of my mom”

“No, Erik… I have money. Really. I…I’m rich. Yeah, in the absence of the better word, I’m rich” Now Erik frowns and sits up straighter knocking Charles on a head in the process.

“What the hell you mean?” Charles leans back on one hand and rubs his temples with the other.

“My father was Brian Xavier”

“Brian Xavier? The neur— the multibillionaire Brian Xavier?”

“Yes… Erik I…” Now Erik gets up clenching and unclenching his fingers.

“You’re a multibillionaire and you didn’t think to tell me?” Erik snaps and feels a little like hyperventilating “And did you just offer me money!?”

“Erik…”

“I’m not something you can buy!” Erik feels bile rising to his throat. No, he isn’t going to fucking profit from being with Charles.

“I didn’t… I wasn’t…”

“I know that people with money always think that poor people can be bought but I’m not like that. You can’t just offer me money that you can keep fucking me! I know that I’m a poor stripper but I you can’t just…”

Charles, for a man who likes to move elegantly and slow if he can, stands up quickly and for a moment he looks very small standing on the other side of the bed.

“I’m sorry Erik. I’m really sorry that I didn’t tell you about my money but… “Erik’s heart feels funny when Charles takes in a shuddering breath.”…If you seriously think so little of me to believe I just offered you money for you to keep fucking me you should maybe leave. I’m going to take a shower and when I come back I want you gone. Please” Charles lifts his chin and goes to the bathroom, shuts the door and locks it. Erik takes his clothes and in a huff of disappointment and anger but before leaving he stops before the bathroom door.

“Please, Erik” Charles says and Erik leaves.

—

The thing is that Erik has never trusted people who offer him money. It hits a little too close to home. In their profession there has always been people who make all kinds of offers but Erik really isn’t like that. He thinks briefly about Shaw who wanted to keep Erik. But he also knows that Charles isn’t like that either. He curses briefly in German and decides to call Charles next morning when they’ve both had little time to cool off

—

In the morning of course Erik realizes that he should just have listened to his mother advice to never go to bed angry because in the morning Charles is gone.

—

Erik sits by the telephone hoping that Charles would call, but he doesn’t.

—

On September the 16th there is suddenly a knock on his door. Erik thinks briefly about salesmen and doesn’t open but the knocking just keeps on going and then there is a shout.

“I know you’re in there you insensitive shit! Open the fucking door!” Oh the name-calling is very uncalled for especially when he doesn’t recognize the voice. Erik curses and tugs some pants on before pulling his door open.

“What the..?” He spits and then a fist collides with his jaw. It hurts, really it hurts, and Erik shakes his head to dissolve the dizziness.

“Oh! OH! Yeah, sure, of course you’re hot. Fucking Charles always losing his mind over gorgeous pieces of ass” Erik’s heart twinges at the mention of Charles and only then he looks the person standing at his door. It’s a girl maybe in his twenties, with long blond hair and a dress so colorful it almost hurts Erik’s eyes. He recognizes her as Charles’ sister from photos.

“Could you maybe, I don’t know, explain?” Erik says and the girl walks in not caring about Erik’s personal space at all.

“You! You’re the reason Charles is currently moping in his flat and fucking crying! Do you know how much it takes for Charles to cry these days!? You think you are somehow better than my brother then? Huh, do you!?” Erik slams the door shut and resists the urge to hit something.

“You..! Charles left me!”

“No shit!? You know, when I called Emma about you, she told you were different and I fucking believed her! What’s wrong with you!? How could you do this to him after…”

”What? After what? Charles offered me money and when I turned him down because I don’t want to be his charity case and doesn’t even want to resolve things between us and I’m to blame. I get it I’m an asshole and I over-reacted when he told me about the money” Erik steps back when Charles’ sister comes little closer because he doesn’t want to get hit again.

“I want him to be with me because he loves me! Not because he sees me as a… a… poor stripper and wants to save me! I’m not going to be some fucktoy for him” Erik feels grim satisfaction when Raven gapes and stands back but when her next words come out the confusion takes over.

“I swear to god. He loves you so much it scares him and thinks that you don’t even like him you dipshit! And in the contrary of your belief Charles doesn’t help people because he expects to get something from them” Raven stares him clear anger in her eyes but after a while she registers Erik’s honest confusion and the anger leaves her frame in a second.

“He didn’t tell you? He really didn’t tell you. God, Charles, you… idiot” Raven falls back to sit on Erik’s couch “I’m still angry with you but… maybe you’re not only one to blame after all. Put some ice on your jaw, I’m sorry I may have overreacted.” Erik tilts his head and grabs a bag of frozen peas from the freezer and sits on an armchair opposite of Raven.

He stares at his hands for a moment and then says gently.

“He loves me?”

“Oh seriously…” Raven sighs and rolls her eyes. “Three years ago Charles was struggling with money, I even think that he was homeless for a while but then…” she grimaces “Our mother died, good riddance, he suddenly had more money that he could spend and so little he could spend it on, so he began drinking, fucking around the same old story” Raven gazes at him with an elegant frown.

“And…”

“And… Well. Charles got burned pretty bad with this one guy who just used him to get money. When Charles realized this and broke things off, this guy basically just called Charles some really bad things and told him that no one could love him. He spiraled out of control until the acceptance letter to Oxford came and he left all of this behind” She waves her hands around.

“He came back to get some closure. And then he met you”

Erik doesn’t trust himself to speak, his blood is pumping in his ears and there seems to be a clog in his throat so he just grits his teeth.

“He must’ve called me a hundred times last summer because he was scared that you were going to fuck him over.” Raven shakes her head “Then he called me telling that he thinks that he loves you and then… we saw each other in London and Charles told me that it was over. He said that he has fucked everything up again and he’s an idiot falling love with people who couldn’t love his ugly ass back”

Erik doesn’t really know what to say. He never saw Charles nervous, or in doubt.

“He said that he tried to offer you money so could come back to Europe with him and that he’s an idiot thinking that you could possibly want that” Now Erik runs his hands over his face.

“He wanted me to..? He..? But how could I possibly know this” he asks and Raven lifts his hands to the air.

“Charles does that. He’s just a little insecure when dealing with love of all things. He doesn’t want to ask people to love him so he just” Raven waves her hand in the air again. “For such an intelligent man my brother is very stupid”

—

Erik borrows money from Raven and takes a first flight to London.

—

Erik is soaked from head to toe when he knocks on the door of Charles’ Oxford apartment. The weather in England is appalling and Erik is feeling more than a little bit anxious but when Charles opens his door, dressed in rumbled tweed jacket, glasses and grey slacks, suddenly nothing matters anymore. Erik surges forward and kisses him.

“Erik! What are you..?”

“Shut up” Erik growls, Charles is looking a bit taken a back and it makes Erik want to laugh a little. “I love you.” He continues resting his forehead on Charles’ “I love you with everything I have and I’m sorry about all the things I said and that I didn’t tell you earlier. I don’t want your money but I don’t mind your money. I want you and I want you to trust me enough that you can believe that I love you without reservations. I…” Erik cradles Charles’ stunned face and wipes his tears away when they surface from Charles’ brilliant blue eyes. “I’m stupid” Erik finishes and then he sees a gangly, tall man with horned glasses peeking out from Charles’ kitchen but before he can say anything Charles turns his head back to his eyes.

“That’s Hank. Raven’s boyfriend. Hank, go away, please” Charles says little breathless and the young man leaves with an salute to them. Then Charles is kissing him again and Erik grins.

“I love you too, you wonderful man” Charles laughs wetly and buries his face in the crook of Erik’s neck “I’m so sorry I was such an ass. I… I wanted you to…” A shudder leaves Charles’ mouth and Erik wraps his hands around his slight frame. “I wanted you with me so bad that I didn’t realize that I was being offensive. God… when I arrived here I wanted to punch myself for being a coward”

Erik is on a verge of saying that Charles is not a coward and wasn’t really offensive but then he sees backed bags by the door. Charles turns his head a little before blushing.

“Ah… I was actually… I have a flight back to the States for tomorrow morning. I was going to come and grovel, asking you to take me back” Erik isn’t actually sure what his heart is doing, it’s fluttering and pounding and twisting and he needs to take few breaths in and out.

“I’m not sure what I’m going to do” Erik admits and tightens his grip on Charles’ waist. Erik feels Charles nodding and pressing a soft kiss on his collarbone.

“We don’t have to decide that yet. I’m just happy that you’re here” Charles lifts his gaze to Erik’s eyes “Let’s just enjoy this for a moment”

Now it’s Erik’s turn to smile.

“Yeah, let’s do that”

—

After a while Charles’ phone beebs.

“Don’t fuck him on the kitchen table, brotha. Tables are for eating”

—-

Erik ends up staying in Oxford, at least until the end of the school year.

Bonus:

They visit Erik’s mother in November.

“Where did you meet?” Edie asks pouring them tea.

“Eh, we met at work” Erik says vaguely and Edie looks between them.

“Are you a stripper?” Edie asks Charles and Erik flushes red.

“Mutti!” But Charles just laughs.

“I’m a professor actually but I’ve done little dancing on my free time. Your son is so much better at it than I am though”

“Charles!”

“There is no need to look so alarmed, Erik, I’ve seen the posters. This nice girl from the synagogue showed them to me”

Erik groans and amidst their laughter Charles grabs Erik’s hand and doesn’t let go.


End file.
